Keyboard Vs Keypad for FPS

Orbweaver or Blackwidow Ultimate 2013


  • Total voters
    0

georgeth100

Honorable
Apr 5, 2013
12
0
10,510
ok so I am going to go with either a razer Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 or a razer orbweaver. Which one should I get?

I will be playing mostly first person shooters and some MOBA's and some RPG's which one will benefit me the best?

I already got my mouse and mouse pad. (razer taipan and vespula)

Please Do not Recommend the G13
 
well... if you are absolutely dead set on razer products (seems like you are) a keyboard is much more useful then a gamepad.

of course there are plenty of other good options available. the razer 2013 goes for around $130, for around the same price you can get a better keyboard made by wasd. you sacrifice led backlighting and fancy software for sure but it does support usb/ps2, nkro and they even grease the key supports.

your choice of course.
 
it is your choice to play in the dark or not. just realize that it is your own eyes you are damaging.

yes, the razer blackwidow ultimate 2013 is the best keyboard razer manufacturers. however, with that said razer as a whole is a mediocre perepheral company at best with a premium product cost. the company is known for cutting corners which often results in issues other well made products do not suffer from so buyer beware.

i personally use a razer deathadder mouse which does have a few annoying traits but in general performs as expected. i purchased the earlier version of the ultimate when searching for a keyboard and was disapointed so i returned the keyboard. i replaced this keyboard with a wasd keyboard purchased for a similar price and i can say that i am much more pleased with the purchase.

---

the short answer?

go ahead and go with the keyboard if you like it. it should work as advertised and i do think it is an improvement over the last version. just keep in mind razers track record and read plenty of reviews.
 

thee_prisoner

Distinguished
Jun 30, 2008
1,136
0
19,660
Like ssddx said " a keyboard is much more useful then a gamepad." IF you are going to be playing a lot of FPS, RPGs and etc, a keyboard is superior(even though you might be used to using gamepads). Just get a good keyboard and learn how to use it.

Comfort wise it depends. If you lay back on a couch and play, yes a game pad is a good choice. If you play at a desk/table, then a keyboard is better since you have more key options.

I can't recommend Razor products since I have never used one but there are plenty of good keyboards reviews out their for gaming keyboards.
 
comfortable? perhaps but it depends on what you are used to.

you may very well be able to play fps games entirely with a gamepad and mouse however do keep in mind that you will need to do alot of keymapping and might give up some functions to play with one. for instance numpad or number row 0-9 weapon hotkeys.

as far as rpgs, i havent played a huge selection on pc (more on console) but i did play guild wars for at leat 5-6 years and i can tell you that typing is a huge part of the online experience. now, you could navigate around with a gamepad and still use a keyboard but it will be much more awkward. with that aside, rgps often require considerable amounts of mapped keys for spells, potions, actions and menu systems. a gamepad just doesnt have enough keys typically.

also consider this... the orbweaver retails for $130 and the blackwidow for $140 on newegg. the product is so marked up that you can likely find both a keyboard and gamepad for the same price if you avoid major brands.

-----

all we can do here is try and steer you in a direction. ultimately it is your choice as to what products you prefer. i would suggest reading these before you decide though. chock full of good stuff indeed. the last is a forum search showing recent posts about the matter.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1468692

http://click.hardforum.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.overclock.net%2Fcomputer-peripherals%2F491752-mechanical-keyboard-guide.html&id=1&match=1&source=none&destination=none

http://www.tomshardware.com/s/mechanical%20keyboard/#/forum/
 
I personally would recommend a game pad over a keyboard for FPS or RPG's. The main reason is the thumb joystick. There are plenty of keys for 50 abilities on most game pads. All you need is a shift state button, perhaps use your mouse button to do it. The G13 has 24 buttons, if I set a thumb button on my mouse to shift, I get 48, add two shift states on my mouse, and I have 72 buttons. That is more than enough for any game. Now you also get your movements from your thumb, instead of your keys, and they are far more accessible.

If you have to type, you move your hands from your mouse anyways, so moving your hand from your game pad is no harder. You can also make macros on all the keys of a gamepad, but you cannot on a keyboard, unless they have buttons off to the side, but they are out of the way and often too difficult to use in battle.

I don't know what your problem is with the G13, but it is not the only gamepad. Razer does make a Nostromo n52, which is pretty good. I prefer the G13, but the Nostromo n52 gets the job done and is more ergonomically sound.

It is true though, you have to setup each game for it. You could make a default setup that would work for most games, but you will have to create a profile for each game. I suppose that could be annoying if you don't play games very long.
 

georgeth100

Honorable
Apr 5, 2013
12
0
10,510
ok well I think a keyboard come before a keypad

And I have expanded past razer

Now I am looking at the corsair k90 and the cooler master Trigger

What switch do I want? I want a little bit of click with not that much actuation force so that would be red or brown right?
 

thee_prisoner

Distinguished
Jun 30, 2008
1,136
0
19,660
A good keyboard you can make macros. Mouse/trackball is superior to a joystick for FPSs. But it really depends on what you are used too. It is well worth practicing on a keyboard.
 


I think you misunderstand the use of the joystick/d-pad on the gamepad. It is not a replacement for the mouse, it is a replacement for the WASD keys.
 

thee_prisoner

Distinguished
Jun 30, 2008
1,136
0
19,660
Bystanded, yes, I could understand a joystick for movement in combination of a mouse/trackball( I like trackballs, much quicker) but when I think of a game pad, I think of the PC ones. Something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126050 I figured I would link that since some people might assume a console game pad not a PC one.

And having re-read your post you do recommend the g13 I linked to.

Happy gaming, the Prisoner...
 

Brainie_J

Reputable
Jun 11, 2014
11
0
4,520


Hi Bystander,

I'm with the same dilemma. I play a lot Arma 3 and batlefield/CS/CoD sometimes. Since I travel a lot I game with laptops, but I would like to upgrade with a pro combo of mouse and keypad. Just looking for the choice to make right now.

I read everywhere people not recommending keypads for FPS,.. I got disappointed with this, when I see something like the Razer Nostromo seems to be the perfect choise for me: mobility and ergonomic (I really feel personally lost in a keyboard, to many keys for using some of them). I don't care much about the price (but I understand the point of price comparison with keyboards and razer quality issues..). But people usually says, no numbers keys to change of weapon... I think with the right mouse you can solve this problem.

I think is all about the right combo (mouse/keypad) and the keyboard to write is in my laptop.. so.. I cant travel with a gaming keyboard... I've seen some small ones like the Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid-i ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823129031) [136$] but for that price I think I will go with a keypad and let's see... Your Shift/mouse idea is great for me (if necesary).

For the mouse I really would like to buy the logitech G502 Proteus, not quiate sure which keypad I should go for?
If a lack of numbers key is an issue... I could choose a Razer Naga as a mouse option. No?

Wellm, i hope someone could guide me some more :( after reading so many bad comments about keypads & FPS Games.. I got lost.